Dale Moon

Who were some of your earliest musical influences?

Right from the start for me it was Rush and Van Halen, which is an interesting yin and yang. I like how completely thought-out Neil Peart's playing is, and how completely instinctual Alex Van Halen's playing seems, and yet they're equally valid.

The other main early influence was Tower Of Power. David Garibaldi is probably my single biggest drum hero of all time. I can literally remember the moment I first heard Back To Oakland. It instantly made me wonder why we all play the same drum beats all the time.

Who are some of your more recent musical influences?

Later, I got into all of the jazz fusion guys, like Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Steve Smith, Gregg Bissonette, Horatio Hernandez, Simon Phillips… For years I felt that that was my direction as a player, but at some point I realized that I'm a rock n' roller at heart. That’s when I started getting into all of the instrumental guitarists like Vai, Morse, and Satriani. You still get all of the playing, but it rocks. Rod Morgenstein is my main guy in that arena. I have a million musical heroes, but these are the people who have actually influenced my playing.

There are lots of other drummers whose playing I love, but who haven’t shaped my playing as much, so I don’t quite think of them as “influences”…maybe more like “inspirations:” Vinnie Colaiuta, Tony Williams, John Bonham, Earl Palmer, Elvin Jones…it’s a long list.

What kind of Electronics do you use?

We’ll sometimes do in-store appearances or radio shows while on the road. In these situations, I use a full kit of electronic drums, which are made by RET Percussion. They’re dual-zone triggers made with actual maple shells and real-feeling heads.

Also, no matter which kit I’m using, I use a pair of Roland SPD-S sampling pads to my left above the hi-hats. I can trigger drum sounds directly from them, or I can trigger rhythm guitar loops or piano loops that we couldn’t otherwise cover live without more people. That strategy allows us to sound extremely full on stage even though we’re a trio… the Rush approach. I use two of them MIDI’d together so I can monitor one with added click, and send one to the house without a click.

I use a Boss metronome for a time reference, and I have a small mixer that I use to tie it all together and monitor the other band members.

I use Electro-Voice microphones on everything. They absolutely rock, and have held up great on the road.

Do you use triggers live or in the studio?

I currently don't use any live, and I've never used them in the studio, with the exception of random sessions for other people. I used to use them to trigger effects program changes on my reverb unit on the fly.

You have a third pedal on your left side next to your hi-hat and left kick pedal. What's that about?

That's primarily a soloing device; it’s a Rhythm Tech Ribbon Crasher mounted on a Gajate bracket. I use the sound in the same way I would use a snare, or sometimes a clave. It allows me to set up a fairly complete groove with my feet, which I can then solo over.

What’s your approach to drum solos?

I’ve been changing things up during the last tour and soloing within the framework of a song, instead of by myself. My bandmates will hold down a vamp and I can basically go nuts. It’s fun because I can be more spontaneous and take more chances. I can play what I feel on that night, and if I have a moment of hesitation or if an idea doesn’t pan out, it doesn’t tank the whole solo. I like pushing and pulling against the groove being played and creating tons of rhythmic tension. It’s one of my favorite things about listening to guys like Dave Weckl and Dennis Chambers.

When I take an “open” solo, where I’m the only one playing, I always plan out a rough structure; I don’t like leaving too much to chance when there’s nobody to lean on. I use lots of ostinatos in these solos, and the idea is to create that feel of accompaniment, but by myself. I’ll play a repeating phrase with a couple of limbs, then solo over that with my remaining limbs. This way, the listeners have a nice, accessible groove to latch onto if they don’t care about the other stuff I’m doing. I’ll also use lots of polyrhythms, which allows me to create that push and pull that I like to hear.

I do think there has to be a circus element to these kinds of solos. It’s an unmistakably physical instrument, and I think (hope) people appreciate the stamina, power, and coordination involved, and I try to push myself on every level. I don’t like finishing and feeling like I could have given more.

Who are your influences as soloists?

All of the fusion guys I mentioned earlier are great at soloing within songs.

For open solos, I’d say the two big ones are Neil Peart and Terry Bozzio. They both take a structured, compositional approach, then improvise within that framework. And Bozzio has elevated the ostinato thing to a whole new level; his name is practically synonymous with it.